Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, October 30, 1944, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., October 30, 1944, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextBritish Take Last Major Nazi Stronghold in Collapsing Dutch Pocket Weather Porteaitt Cloudy wtth rain to nlfl.t and Tueidayj cooler. Highest yeiterday 78 Lowest thli morning 53 Preclp. Past 24 hours ... , Thirty-ninth Year SUBS AND PLANES CHASE REMNANTS OF JAPANS FLEET At Least 58 Craft Sunk or Damaged Is Latest Score .In Philippine Debacle . Pearl Harbor, Oct. 30 (U.R) Admiral Charter W. Nimlts announced today that the total damaged in tho battle of the Philippine! had been raited to at least 62 and pouibly 64 by new strikes on the Manila and central Philippine! area. More than 90 Japanese planei were destroyed Friday and Saturday, bringing to at least 261 the number wrecked lact week by 3d and 7th ileet carrier aircraft. TsAni irvw rw an n I p) American submarines and China . based bombers prowled enemy waters today in a quest of smok ing, crippled remnants of the Japanese fleet which fled the Philippines after suffering the worst defeat in modern naval history with at least 58 warships sunk or damaged. Only one or two destroyers out of the Japanese fleet of 59 to 60 warships which sought to challenge the American invasion of the Philippines came through the six-day air-sea battle un scathed, and even they, along with 21 or 34 damaged and crip- plea snips, sun xaceu me wv of American underseas and air raiders. Third Hate Now Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacl fict fleet, disclosed the reduc- ; t .Tannn tn third-rate bllfll ...-.- -" . naval power in a triumphant r.nmmiininue which announced the sinking of 24 Japanese war ships, including two battleships and four aircraft carrier;, the possible sinking of 13 others and the damaging of 21 in a blazing battle Oct. 22 through 27. wnn me iapiicoc threat to the Philippines' inva- sion smashed, Tokyo reported that American carrier planes had resurned their attacks on the Manila area. More than 200 aircraft made three ; separate raids on the Philippines capital and nearby Clark field between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. yesterday, a Dome! broadcast said, adding the claim that 37 had been shot down. Another Tokyo broadcast as serted that Japanese planes caught an American task force of aircraft carriers east of Luzon bay Sunday and heavily dam aged and set ablaze one carrier, a cruiser and two unidentified warships. Manila March Aided The decisive American vic tory in the naval battle of the Philippines was expected to speed the American march on Manila, as well as landings on blows against the Japanese the China coast and probably home islands. Japan lost all her available aircraft carriers in the battle, she may or may not have three battleships in operating condi tion and her cruiser and destroy, er strength has been crippled at a time when she is in desperate need of escort vessels to main tain her menaced communica tions with her stolen empire to the south. With Japanese shipyards al ready clogged with damaged shirs from previous forays, ves sels damaged in the Philippines probably will be out of service for months to come, even should they escape American subma rines and planes on their home- ....... .4 V.ti.tKmMA .Tana. are within easy range of China nese shipyards at Hong Kon& l J l . .1 J T i V- uucu iijiiis A-utvtc:c9 biiu it erators, while Singapore and ' Japan's home ports could be hit by B-29 Superfortresses. Nimitz said the Japanese fleet had been "decisively defeated and rout ed," then, summarized the 'en emy's losses as follows: Sunk: Two battleships, four carriers, six heavy cruiser, three light cruisers, three small cruisers or large destroyers and nix destoyers. Severely damaged and maybe sunk: One battleship, three heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and seven destroyers. Escaped in a damaged condi tion: Six battleships, four heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and 10 destroyers. 0. S, Losses LUted The American 3rd and 7th fleets lost the 10.000-ton light aircraft carrier Princeton, two escort carriers, two destroyers, a destroyer escort and a "few UniUd Pi h Yanks Inch Closer to Luzon LxJ - ..... V rV' . I .5 'Now Under U. S.t !Sw V1eye"Se' Qv5fe it - ?H .." ' " ., BANTAYAK . s ptljSi ' -,oioniA GxtaeWftCAlieOAM t"-rir)ffj MANieANl CemotetSee S (V 7 fY .o ' J HNAI . OINAfiAT (Aon TtUphoto) American Invasion forces race up west coasfof Samar to within 67 miles of Luzon and 320 miles of Manila as Gen. MacArthur announces that Japanese all along the 80-mlle Philippine front were bordering on "com plete disorganization and disintegration.'' Bong Back With Crippled Plane After Downing 32nd, 33rd Japs With the Far Eastern Air Force, Leyte, Philippines, Oct. 27ttl.PJ MaJ.' . Richard Bong, America's Ace of Aces, returned safely to a U. S. air base with a ' shot-out motor today after downing his 3.,nd and 33rd en emy planes one of them with out firing a shot,. Taking off from a northern Leyte airdrome in a dusk pa trol "scramble," Bong sighted a "Zeke," the first of the Japanese Zero fighter planes produced in 'iiihis war,: cruising blissfully at 12,000 feet.. Pointing the red nose of his Lightning straight ; up, Bong caught up with the sur prised Nip from a distance of 20 miles and shot him down. Zelce Crashes Less than 15 minutes later Bong's plane patrol intercepted a bomb carrying "Zeke," appar ently headed, for the Tacloban area, flying some 10 miles out of Ormoc on the other side of Leyte. A pass at the enemy fighter-bomber by another mem ber of the American patrol miss ed fire and Bong sprung into the fray. . With Bong on his tail, the Nip went into a steep dive and at tempted to jettison his bombs. So great was the Zeke's speed T, SAYS DIES GROUP Washington, Oct. 30 (U.R) A Dies subcommittee today de scribed the C. I. O. political ac tion committee and its offshoot, the national citizens political ac tion committee, as "fronts" through which communists are trying to win control of a "major political party" and become a principal power in this country. In a report to the full Dies committee on its investigation of C. I. O. political activities, the subcommittee branded N. C. P. A. C. as the principal "commun ist front organization of 'the mo ment," but said that it and the P. A. C. together were the "ral lying point for the communist party and its allied groups." FRANCO AID CLAIMED : London, Oct. 30 (U.R) The News-Chronicle In a dispatch from its correspondent. Philip Jordan, datelined from the Pyre nees, charged that the German "condor legion" had been re-established in Spain to aid the Franco regime and that thou sands of German troops escaping across the French frontier into Spain had n-t been Interned. lesser craft," Nimitz said. A total of 171 Japanese planes were shot down in two engage ments while the only American air losses listed were 10 planes in one engagement. While the 75 ships sunk or damaged on both sides in the battle of Jutland during world war I exceeds the 64 Japanese and American vessels announced hit in the Philippines, never be fore In modern history has a single nation lost as many ships ii. a single engagement as did Japan in last week' test of strength. Full Leased Wire ', IMIII IDKIklP 1 rniLirriNt ISLANDS MILK that the missile of destruction failed to clear the tail assembly and tore it out. The Zeke crash ed into the sea. Shortly thereafter Bong's pa trol encountered a group of near ly 22 enemy Zero fighter-bombers and dive bombers. One .of Bong's engines was shot out In the ensuing hit and run engage ment which was broken off be cause the Americans were run ning low On gas too deep in en emy .territory,. The. 23-year-old .veteraahad no. idea what hit him. .. . , . ' . CHINESE, BRITISH THREATEN LARGE Southeast Asia Headquarters, Kandy, Ceylon, Oct. 30 (U.R) Chinese and British forces, in a new drive to clear the Japanese from northern Burma and re open the India-China supply, road, have retaken almost 2,000 square miles of enemy territory and are threatening the big Ja panese bases - of Bhamo and Katha, a communique revealed today. Following a campaign plan ned by Gen. Joseph W. Stillwell before his recall from the China-Burma-India theater, the allied forces were disclosed to have mounted a twin offensive from Yitkyina and Mogaung on Oct 15. The British 36th division, striking down the Mandalay-Mo-gaung railway from Mogaung, advanced more than 55 miles in the past two weeks to within about 30 miles of Katha, while the Chinese drove some 65 miles south from Yitkyina along jun gle trails to capture Yothit, 15 miles northeast of Bhamo.' . Scores of other Burmese vil lages were freed in the twin thrust which met virtually no enemy opposition. Front reports indicated the Japanese had aban doned their prepared defenses and were withdrawing at top speed into Central Burma. BILL THORNDIKE LISTED WOUNDED Cpl. Bill Thorndike was slight ly wounded October 15 in Ger many,- according to a wire re ceived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Thorndike, 55 Berkeley way, this morning. A letter from the corporal written September 28, stated that he was in Holland with a replacement unit and his parents had no fur ther information of him until the wire this morning. Cpl. Thorndike went overseas in July and has been with a sup ply unit. Me has been in the army since March of 1943. en tering the army after two years at Oregon State college, and is a graduate of Medford senior high school. MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1S44 PROBABLY LAST ON F.DIS LIST Secretary Early Throws Cold Water oji Reported Ohio - Campaign Tour ' , , Washington, Oct. 30 (U.R) White House Secretary Stephen T. Early today threw cold water on reports that President Roosevelt-would carry his campaign tour Into Ohio,- and indicated that his already-scheduled Bos ton speech on Saturday will be Mr. Roosevelt's sole remain ing major appearance before election day. There had been widely cir culated reports that the presi dent would make a speech at either Cleveland or Detroit this week. Early said a definite deci sion would be made within 24 hours, but that as of the mo ment, the president still planned to spend the week in Washing ton taking care of Important work. F. R. Feeling Fine The president now has no fixed campaign plans beyond the Boston speech and a tour of the Hudson river valley near his Hyde Park home the day before election. - ' - Early said the president was "feeling fine" after his trip, which ended last night and took him into seven pivotal states. Designed largely to show the people the state of his health, the journey just ended included two big night speeches in raw and windy weather, long, rainy hours in an open car parade and several train-end speeches.' Political camp " followers' "on this train and some of those who have been traveling independ ently now have the distinct Im pression that the president's health is the top conversational issue of this campaign. That is what the question-askers want to know about and it was "how he looks" that interested curb and train-side crowds the most. RUSSIANS POISE FOR NEW DRIVE Moscow, Oct. 30 (U.R) Gen. Ivan D. Petrov's 4th Ukrainian army, slashing across Czecho slovakia to capture the big com munications center of Csap, was poised on the northern Hungar ian border today for a new pos sible thrust toward Hungary. Petrov's forces at Csap were only approximately 25 miles from Marshal Rodion Y. Malin ovsky's 2nd Ukrainian army which was pushing against the Hungarian capital from the south and east. The Russian communique again failed to mention the campaign in East Prussia, where Red army infantry, tanks and artillery were waging a heavy of fensive along both sides of the main railway leading directly to Konigsberg. (Berlin reported that Geni Ivan D. Chernlakhovsky's 3rd White Russian army occupied three additional towns south of the rail junction of Gumbinnen 15 miles east of Insterburg, but later were driven out of the places.) (The Germans also reported that a Soviet army of possibly 400,000 to 600.000 men, backed by seven full tank corps, opened a new Baltic offensive and cap tured the Latvian stronghold of Auce in an attempt to split the escape ports of Liepaja and Vent- sptls. Auce is 73 miles erst of Liepaja.) ' RENO GAMBLING CLUB IS SCENE OF SLAYING Reno. Nev., Oct. 30 (U.R) James Lanagan, 28, was shot and killed during an altercation at the Bank Club, one of Reno's better known gambling houses. early today, District Attorney Melvln Jepson announced. Jack Blackman, 32, one of the operators of the Town House. another Reno restaurant and gambling club, much frequented by divorcees, was taken into cus tody In connection with the af fair, Jepioa said. Stilwell Recalled in Chiang Kai r " s yp fir :;-f (A . - (Acvm Telephoto) Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell (center), relieved as U. S. commander In Far East In sensational move which assert edly stemmed from direct demand by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek. Lt. Gen. Daniel L Sultan (left) will command American forces In Burma-India theater. MaJ. Gen. A. O. Wedemcyer (right) will command the China, theater BEFORE BOLOGNA BY HEAVY GUNS Rome, Oct. 30 U.R) The heaviest German artillery fire yet encountered by the 5th army checked the American drive on Bologna today, although British troops on the right flank met only limited resistance in the push northward toward Forli, a key point on the Bologna-Rimini highway. -.' ' ;The- Germans - also reported hastily improving their defenses with new minefields and wire entanglements apparently for a determined stand on 'the ap proaches to Bologna, the cen tral gateway to Italy's Po valley. Hamlets Taken One American unit, operating far in the rear of the advance units which were only eight miles from Bologna, pushed two miles northward along the high way from Pistoia to capture the village of Castellacclb and two hamlets, Bosco and" Serra, just west of Marana, 23 miles south east of Bologna. British troops of the 5th army, driving north on the Florence Fnrli road, pushed past the town of Rocca San Casciano to bring that salient less than 13 miles from the Po '.lley's main high way. The British were keeping con tact with the Germans, who were withdrawing from the area to prevent being cut off of 8th army forces attacking - Forli from the east. FORTRESSES HIT NORTHWEST REICH London, Oct. 30 U.R) More than 800 American Flying Fort resses and Liberators bombed Hamburg, Harburg, Hamm and Munster today in a four-pronged attack on northwest Germany. Upward of 95 OThunderbolt and Mustang fighters escorted the heavy bombers smashing at the Ruhr and the Hamburg port area, the United States strategic air force announced. Transport facilities and Indus trial plants were hit at Hamm and Munster, while oil refineries and processing plants were the targets at Hamburg and neigh boring Harburg across the Elbe Royal Air Force Mosquitoes made two separate attacks last night on Cologne, dropping two- ton blockbusters on the Rhine land city. Little Brother Commando Victim New York, Oct. 30. (U.R) Police reported today that four- year-old William Drach, whose trussed and gagged body was found in a dumb-waiter shaft, was the victim of a "commando" raid staged by his eight year old brother Robert. They questioned William's playmates in an effort to learn how the child had been killed When police got around to Rob ert, he broke down and admit ted he had tied up the yourger boy while they were at play. Tribune United Prui FuU TO. BERLIN By United Press v The shortest distance to Ber lin from advanced allied lines today: Western front 298 miles (from point near Nijmegen. Unchanged in week.) Russia 315 miles (from Warsaw. Unchanged in week.) . Italy 535 miles (from point south of Ravenna. Unchanged in week.) SOLDIER BALLOT Albany, N. Y., Oct. 30 (U.R) The predominantly Republi can New York state assembly vote'd unanimously today to extend the lime for receiving absentee soldier votes In the November 7 election from No vember 3 to November (. Albany, N. Y., Oct. 30 U.R) A fight over soldier voting de veloped today in a special ses sion of the New York state legis lature. Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, lay ing aside his role as a presiden tial candidate temporarily to convene a special session to lib eralize voting arrangements, pro posed that the time for receiving absentee ballots be extended to November 6. The Democratic minority in troduced a bill proposing that the deadline on absentee ballots be extended to November 30. Under present law the absen tee ballots must be in the hands of the war ballot commission by November 3 and counted in the proper election district, along with all other votes, on Novem ber 7. The fight over soldier ballot ing, which also' marked the reg ular session of the New York legislature earlier this year, overshadowed the purpose for which Dewey called the session to extend for two hours, until 9 p. m. (EWT), the polling hours in the state next Tuesday. Both houses passed the two hour extension bill without de bate. PEAR CROP OVER EARLY ESTIMATE Corvallls, Ore., Oct. 30 (U.R) Oregon's pear crop, estimated at more than 3,000,000 boxes in the state's principal producing regions, Jackson and Hood River counties, has been harvested suc cessfully despite labor shortages this season. . The Rogue River valley crop was estimated at about 2,000,000 boxes, up half a million over last year. Hood River expects more than 1 .000.000 boxes. R. H. Cate, Jr., Jackson coun ty farm labor assistant on the Oregon State college extension service staff, reported that more than 2,000 pickers and nearly half that many workers in the 15 packing plants in Jackson county handled the $7,000,000 crop. Lnud Wlx NO. 187. - Shek Row 602,013 REGISTER TO VOTE IN STATE L Salem, Ore., Oct. SO (U.R) A total of 602,013 persons have reg istered for the general election in Oregon next Tuesday, the elections division here reported today after receiving all county reports. This is more than 100 000 more than registered in the primary election in May of this year,, but it is about 11,000 less than were registered "to vote in the last presidential election in 1940. ' There are 17,989 more Repub licans registered than Democrats, the figures 'showed, 302,805 to 284,818. A total of 2,786 were named as independent, 420 as socialist, 482 as prohibitionist, and 10,704 in the "all others" column, which included service men whose party affiliation was not designated. Some service men voters are Included in the figures, but not all, as it was not possible to In clude the soldiers who sent in their applications for ballots, which served as their registra tion, after the civilian registra tion closed on October 7. A total of about 41,000 appli cations for soldier ballots have been received here so far. While the total number regis tered is smaller than that for the Roosevelt-Willkie contest in 1940, the actual vote may be considerably larger, due to the absentee service votes. EX- SUFFOCATES IN NEVADA HOTEL Ely, Nev., Oct. 30(U.R) Winifred J.. Hays, 29-year-old former army nurse, who sur vived the horrors of Bataan and served in the south Pacific and European war theaters, died of suffocation in a hotel room here today, the coroner's office re ported. It was said Miss Hays, whose home was believed to be in Shady Springs, W. Va., came to Ely some weeks ago, following an honorable discharge from the nurses' corps of the U. S. army. It was believed that after hav ing dinner last night she return ed to her hotel room and appar ently unable to sleep, took a sleeping potion, the coroner's of fice said. Later, it was said, she appar ently fell asleep while smoking. Her bedding was Ignited by the cigarette. There was evidence, it was said. Miss Hays partially awak ened, sought to open a window. failed and collapsed on the floor. Efforts to revive her, after hotel residents smelled smoke and broke into, the room, failed. Radio Highlights Today: James F. Byrnes, over r.BC 6 to 6:30 p.m. PWT; John W. Bricker over MBS, 6:00 to 7 p.m. PWT, Tuesday: Thomas E. Dewey over nbc o to o 30 pin. pwt. ROUTED GERMANS 50-MILE FRONT - . . I Allies Marching Swiftly To ward Decisive Victory In Western Holland, Is Word Supreme Headquarters, AEF, Paris. Oct. 30 (U.R) -Rrltfch . sault forces stormed today Into Roosendaal, last major strong hold of a collapsing Dutch pock ed in which 40,000 routed Ger man troops were being smashed back against the Maas river on a 50-mile front. The German defenses of all southwestern Holland were fall ing apart under the unremitting blOWS of British. Canariian American, and Polish troops of Marshal Sir Bernard L. Mont gomery's 21st army group. Decisive Victory Field dispatches said the al lies were marching swiftly to ward a decisive victory in west ern Holland which will open up the big port of Anterp and free Montgomery's left flank for a wheeling movement eastward against Germany. Canadian forces racing through Beveland island reached the causeway linking it with Walacheren island In a seven mile advance, and silenced the big coastal guns on Walcheren which had blockaded the sea lanes to Antwerp. Two columns striking west ward across Beveland had vir tually cleared the big island, and the stage was set for the assault of Walcheren and its key cities of Fiddleburg and Flushing. Across the Schelde estuary, the Germans were routed and the Canadians reported a bag of 7,000 prisoners of an original 10,000 in the Breskens pocket. . That meant that perhaps 2,000 Nazis were wandering in the closing trap, disorganized and without leadership or communi cations. As the British crashed Into. Roosendaal. kev transnnrf n,n. ter between cantnreH nraHs Bergen Op Zoom, other units to me nortneast drove within less than a mile of the 'S Hertogen-bosch-Ramsdon-Kveer hiuWav at two points. The road is the last lateral transport artery In German hands below the Maa. Tt waft within easy shelling range of the ui-iuui vanguara, ana effectively immobilized as a Nazi escape channel from the tottering pocket. - Front renorts aM th tj.tI. were falling back as fast as trucks, horses and bicycles could carry them. The speed of their retreat indicated they would be . able to ferry the bulk of the 40, 000 troops across the Maas or iaKe inem out over the second ary bridges available to them. Across the Dutch salient in thai Venlo area, German counter attacks have been contained, a dispatch from Lt.'Gen Courtney H. Hodees 1st armv hpaHnnar. ters said. It estimated that they were carried out by 600 to 1,000 troops and 18 tanks. The Nazis, apparently seeking to drain off allied strength in western Holland, had driven wedges up to two miles in the lines held Jointly bv American and British troops. Montgomery's chase of the Germans in southwest Holland was being pressed today under a thick overcast that seemed to lie on the Dutch tile rooftops. Collaborationist Editor Professes Love For America Paris, Oct. 30 (U.R) Stephana Lauzanne, former editor of tha collaborationist Le Matin, pro fessed an ardf nt love for Amer ica today at his trial on treason charges. Confronted with articles he wrote for Le Katln violently at tacking the United States for tha Invasion of North Africa, the 70-year-old Lauzanne told the courtr' "I regret those articles from the bottom of my heart. I have always loved America. I regret and deplore those articles deeply now." Lauza'nne's American born wife,' the former Camilla Gros of San Francisco, Is In Paris but did not attend the trial today. SIDE GLANCES By TRIBUNE REPORTERS Democrat Paul Hanlln giving a Republican reporter the razz bcrry via telephone. Glenn Harrison undecided as to what excuse to offei for being half an hour late for a breakfast date. Gus Newbury in the greatest hurry of many years, he being too hurried to listen to a new story.